


Escapism

by NotSoHotsuin



Category: Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2
Genre: Best Friends, Comfort, Confession, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, No Spoilers, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-21
Updated: 2017-07-21
Packaged: 2018-12-05 03:46:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11569644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotSoHotsuin/pseuds/NotSoHotsuin
Summary: Hibiki tells Daichi he loves him.Daichi responds by running away.





	Escapism

“I love you.”  
  
He could not handle it. Not when Hibiki looked so earnest. Not when he was opening up to him about such intimate things out in public for everyone to hear if they cared enough to eavesdrop. Daichi knew he would say it again if he forced him to.   
  
“I-...” He choked, feeling stunned. With nothing but fear driving his words, he fell back, and pulled his fist up to his chest defensively. Words similar to ‘it has to be a joke’ repeated unendingly in his mind as he stared into Hibiki’s eyes. Hibiki was exuding nothing but honesty, and Daichi was practically soaked to the bone with anxiety. Fingers trembling, breath hitching, and lips quivering with a taste he could not make out- worry, disbelief, or even a hint of disgust.   
  
“I’m leaving!” Because Hibiki was his best friend. Because Io was his crush. Because he did not consider Hibiki someone who could love him the way he thought love was supposed to feel.   
  
Was love just friendly conversation and casual touches that could pass off as nothing but innocent?   
  
He did not want to find out.   
  
That was why he ran.   
  
Ran as fast and as far as he could so he could get some time alone to think about it. As much as it pained him to shut himself away and cut the world off, he needed to know what he was feeling so he could get rid of it.

 

Hibiki was his best friend.

 

That was all there was to it.  


* * *

  
Shutting himself off had no effect on his state of mind. That was why he had to bite the bullet. Whatever feeling it was he was experiencing, he hoped Hibiki could make it clear to him by talking. There was no doubt in his mind that he cared deeply for Hibiki, but the line between friendship and love was easy to breach when it was so blurred.   
  
The emotions he experienced every time he was alone with Hibiki were some of the strongest and most memorable compared to his supposed crushes, which was exactly why he ran away. It shouldn’t have felt good to hear Hibiki say that he loved him. It was stepping over the boundaries they set for each other by sharing the title of ‘best friend’. Saying those two words was a reminder of their status. When Daichi gave it more thought, he realized that the reason he continuously called Hibiki his best friend was to remind himself of that status- and that it was something that was set in stone.   
  
What he had not expected was that he could still remain best friends despite being this affectionate to one another. It was not something he was prepared for, and realizing it the moment Hibiki confessed made him lose his mind.   
  
Standing in front of him now, with an apologetic look and slumped shoulders was also making him lose his mind. There was nothing he could think of that could excuse his behavior, and nothing he could say could wash away the hurt he had left his friend with. Being in Hibiki’s room allowed him some privacy to be honest, but honesty was fleeting for someone who barely had enough confidence to string together a sentence without stuttering. The words came in an endless stream- more than he could count or remember. He lost track of how long he had been talking, and how long he had been explaining his reasoning, or lack thereof.   
  
“I can’t… think straight. I can’t give you an answer, I’m sor- ah!” Hibiki gently placed his palm over Daichi’s cheek and leaned closer. Daichi shut his eyes tightly and awaited the oncoming slap, pinch, kick, or whatever suitable punishment was in order for being rude and locking himself away for a week could bring. To his surprise, Hibiki was not preparing to punch him, but he did not dare open his eyes to find out what he had in store for him.   
  
“Daichi-”   
“Haha, I’m freaking out! Totally freaking out! Hahaha… Please, don’t do anything!”   
“-are you that afraid of me?”   
“What? No. No, no, no, no! It’s the opposite! I’m so okay with it that it’s driving me nuts! Why am I not bothered by this!?” Hibiki’s laugh would normally have calmed his nerves, but it only made him worry.   
“Hibiki, not cool. Not cool at all. I can’t breathe like this, I can’t-”   
“Then you shouldn’t be talking.”   
“Mnnnh…!” Daichi shivered as Hibiki’s fingers gently slid down his neck and bumped into his scarf along the way. He could feel Hibiki trace lines over the yellow fabric before his palm came to rest at his chest, softly pressing against the area. This closeness was not unusual, and the way Hibiki was touching him was not rather unusual either, but it was the implication that drove Daichi absolutely mad with impatience. The moment was dragging on, holding him hostage, and the key to his peace of mind was three simple words. He felt relieved when Hibiki’s other hand began to comb through his hair softly- the touch being similar to that of comfort rather than eagerness. Daichi parted his lips, eyes still closed, and breathed out shakily to let himself relax. Nothing Hibiki was doing was uncomfortable, but it still held a tight grip around his chest and throat- as if he was expecting either himself or Hibiki to do something already to get rid of the tension.   
  
“Seems like you’re breathing just fine.” Daichi swallowed hard and tensed up.   
“S-stop it! This isn’t funny. How can you be so calm!?”   
“...Daichi, tell me what you want me to do.”   
“What do I…” He mumbled Hibiki’s words back at him, unsure of his own decision. It was as if repeating the words back would make Hibiki answer the question in his stead. “I… I don’t know.” Hibiki let his hand slide down Daichi’s chest until it rested at his hip, fingers folding the fabric aside to touch bare skin. The touch was familiar, but the feeling that coursed through Daichi was one he had never felt before. It spiked curiosity, but also fear.  
  
“How about a kiss?” Much like hearing Hibiki suggest he wanted to kiss him drove him to the brink of a breakdown. He feared the expectations Hibiki built up, and that he would let him down- that the idea of a kiss would suddenly make him realize he was mistaking a feeling of friendship for something more intimate.   
“Y-you sure? It’s not like we can go back from this...”   
“You don’t have to tell me you love me, I already know how you feel.” That was comforting to hear, because Daichi did know Hibiki had the right impression. That was what came with ten years of friendship. He was always better at reading him than others were.   
“...Well, we’ve been friends for so long that it’s only natural, right?”   
“Don’t agree to it because you feel pressured to.”   
“Now you say that!? Now!? You’re an inch from my face, man!”   
“Speaking of my face...” Daichi lowered his head slightly, and ended up bumping his nose against Hibiki’s by accident.   
“Oh, s-sorry… I didn’t mean to yell…” When he dropped his tone, he began realizing the seriousness of the situation, and how poorly he might have handled his dialogue. Being sensible and rational did not always come naturally, but he made the effort to try and see this from Hibiki’s perspective. A better explanation was in order, but that left him fumbling to explain something he could not even explain to himself.   
  
Running away was just the easiest solution at the time. It was also something he was very good at. Hibiki did not blame him, and in this case, Daichi wished he did. Leaving Hibiki alone and running off like that was something Daichi felt no verbal apology could make up for. If he knew what to do to earn his respect again, let alone, his affection- Hibiki could consider it done in a heartbeat. There was nothing he would not do for him, but was that not just the signs of a strong friendship, rather than a romantic interest? He was starting to question it when he thought about kissing his best friend. It did not feel as out of place as it sounded.   
  
“I… I didn’t mean to run either… I just…” He sighed, feeling overwhelmed. Hibiki continued running his hand through Daichi’s hair in an almost hypnotic fashion. Daichi leaned into the touch, and tried to collect his thoughts. The way he turned  his head had him brush his upper lip against Hibiki’s faintly. He ignored the small voice telling him to just lean in and close the distance. Instead, he allowed his nerves to keep the conversation going to postpone what was inevitable.   
“You just surprised me… You can’t say that in public...”   
“We’re not in public now.”   
“Right, right. I… I get that. I do. It’s just… I’m not sure I…” Hibiki loved him. It was clear. What Daichi needed to know was if he loved Hibiki the same way, and this conversation was not doing much to help him along. However, the way Hibiki moved his hand over his hip to pull him closer definitely made everything a little clearer. This feelings Hibiki evoked in him were unique without a doubt, but that was what the ‘best’ implied in the title of ‘friend’. They knew each other so well that this was second nature. Hibiki snuck his fingers underneath his school uniform to draw lines over his skin, and it made him question how something so simple could make him feel such delight.   
  
“Hibiki, I… I don’t really know what this is. I might just be a very close friend…”   
“Someone who was just a very close friend would have pulled away a long time ago.”   
  
Daichi found some courage to open his eyes and meet Hibiki’s gaze. He could tell he was smiling. It was not long before he turned to look away, and before he closed his eyes again. As nervous as he was, he still smiled knowing Hibiki was not upset with him for running off. It might have been Hibiki’s confidence rubbing off on him, but Daichi shyly raised his hand to let the back of his fingers caress Hibiki’s neck and cheek. The warmth between them was encouraging him to let his upper lip softly brush against Hibiki’s again, only deliberately.   
  
“I’ve always been curious of who your crush was… Never would have figured it was me. I mean, really, dude. What kind of taste do you h-” So much was clear from one simple kiss. Like the fact the heavy tension in his chest faded immediately the moment their lips touched. He was so grateful Hibiki finally took the initiative to shut him up.   
  
The words ‘best friend’ were still there, but they were hardly what Daichi focused on. What occupied his thoughts mostly was the way Hibiki’s fingers curled around the hair at the back of his neck, and the way he leaned his head slightly to deepen the kiss. Daichi hummed and let his hands rest at Hibiki’s shoulders to pull him chest-to-chest. When Hibiki planned on pulling away, Daichi closed the distance between them so he could kiss him again.   
  
Running away from something like this, then hiding for a week was only becoming increasingly more embarrassing as a memory.   
  
When he realized that this was probably why Hibiki was smiling, he pulled away to laugh and cover his face. Hibiki responded by wrapping his arms around him in a warm hug.   
  
“Hibiki, I-”   
“I know,” Hibiki moved Daichi’s hands away from his face to place another soft kiss against his lips. He really did not have to say anything.   
  
Talk about being worried for no reason.


End file.
